International Youth Day 2025: Local Actions, Global Impact

What Are the SDGs?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global commitments created by the United Nations to guide the world toward fairness, sustainability, and equity. They include things like quality education, gender equality, clean water, climate action, and reducing poverty.

But these goals don’t just belong to governments—they belong to us. Young people are essential to making them real, because we’re the ones who see the problems up close: schools that need more resources, communities that need support, or peers who need someone to stand up for them.

Youth in Alberta Taking Action

Across our province, Black youth are showing that local action matters:

• Education Equity: In Calgary, high school students have organized free tutoring circles so classmates struggling with math and science don’t get left behind. By sharing their skills, they’re making quality education more accessible—living out SDG 4: Quality Education.

• Environmental Action: In Edmonton, a group of teens recently organized a neighborhood park clean-up. They collected trash, spread awareness about recycling, and encouraged others to take part in climate care. That’s SDG 13: Climate Action—starting small, but building momentum.

• Mental Health Advocacy: At a local high school, students launched a fundraiser to expand counseling resources. They wanted to break the stigma around mental health while ensuring their peers had support. That’s SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being in action.

These projects may look small compared to the global picture, but they prove something powerful: change begins in our own backyard.

How You Can Get Involved

The best part about International Youth Day is that it’s not just about recognition—it’s about action. Here’s how you can step in:

• Pick Your Goal: Look through the 17 SDGs and choose one that speaks to you. Is it climate action? Gender equality? Ending hunger? Start there.

• Start Small: You don’t need a big budget or a large audience. Organize a study group, run a donation drive, or start a social media campaign.

• Collaborate: Change happens faster together. Bring friends, classmates, or community members into your idea and make it a group effort.

• Share Your Story: Post about your project online or share it with AIFY. When you tell your story, you inspire others to act too.

Why Local Action Matters Globally

The world can sometimes feel overwhelming. We scroll through endless headlines about climate change, inequality, and injustice, and it feels too big to solve. But local youth actions prove something important: when each of us does something small, the combined impact is massive.

Every piece of trash picked up, every student mentored, every conversation about mental health is a building block for something bigger. The SDGs are not about waiting for 2030—they’re about what we do right now, right here.

Final Thoughts

International Youth Day is a reminder that youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow—we’re the leaders of today. Alberta’s Black youth have the power to transform schools, neighbourhoods, and communities through creativity, collaboration, and courage.